So, I got back from Nonprofit Boot Camp at 8:00 last night, and my head is still spinning! It was almost 12 hours of fabulous workshops, keynotes, and chatting with other nonprofiteers, and now that it’s over I’m sorting through all of the new ideas and perspectives I’ve found. Here’s just a few of the big things I took away from it - I’m sure there will be more to come in the next few weeks, as I continue to ponder…

Make sure the nonprofit world is right for you

I went to three great workshops, all led by panels of amazing people, but the one that made the biggest impact on my fundamental plans for the Drama Farm was the Reality of Starting a Nonprofit workshop. Ninive Calegari of 826 Valencia (home of the fabulous Pirate Store, as well as many excellent writing and tutoring resources) strongly cautioned against rushing into becoming a nonprofit before exploring the many other options available to small organizations.

If all you’re looking for is the ability to receive tax-deductible donations, you should look into organizations that provide fiscal sponsorship. Basically, they extend the umbrella of their 501(c)(3) status to the organizations they sponsor, accepting tax-deductible donations on their behalf, and then passing the funds on to the supported organization. If you’re in San Francisco, take a look at Intersection for the Arts - they serve as fiscal sponsors of over 100 organizations in the Bay Area.

Another option is to have a fund set up somewhere like the San Francisco Foundation. People can donate money to the Foundation, earmarked for your organization. The money goes straight into your fund, and the Foundation then gives your organization grants out of that fund.

Ninive and the other panelists stressed how complicated the life of an organization can become once it incorporates as a nonprofit, and pointed out that many organizations may never need to. Other than tax-deductible donations for our contributors, the other major benefit the Drama Farm would get from becoming a nonprofit is that we wouldn’t have to pay income taxes - but until we actually have some income, maybe it’s not worth the hassle. So I’m pondering…

Use your Network!

Another thing that everyone stressed, in every workshop I attended, was using the power of your network. Here’s just a few of the key points:

• Ben Rattray of Change.org talked about empowering your network - making it easy and fun for your peers, friends and supporters to contribute to your organization - either by contributing money, getting involved, or just spreading the word to their own networks. Make them feel like part of the whole, and they’ll be more inclined to work for the betterment of the whole.
• John Killacky of the San Francisco Foundation talked about activating your network and cultivating relationships. Once you’ve got your idea nailed down, tell everyone you know. The more people who know what you’re doing, the more likely you are to find the people who are inspired about your plans and passionate about getting involved. Once you’ve found those people, keep in touch with them. Don’t just call on them when you need them - send them updates and progress reports; show them that their opinions and support are important to you, even when you don’t need something tangible from them.
• Jayson Morris of Room to Read talked about one way to activate your network - by creating a buzz list: ask your supporters to sign up, and when you’ve got something really important to spread the word about (the kickoff of a new fundraising campaign, an exciting new programming offer), send them an email. Even if there’s only 20 people on your buzz list at first, if every person on that list passes the word along to 10 of their friends, you’ve just increased awareness of your organization by 200 people! Just make sure not to abuse the list, or you might find yourself in their spam filters!

Find ways that doing what you do can help other people

I have a whole lot more to write about on this topic, but this post is already getting insanely long (there really is a lot of stuff whirling around in my head!) So, I’ll save this one for tomorrow - just to keep you in suspense! =)